Ina Teutenberg is very happy with her new bike. A contender for the
title of the world's fastest-finishing female road racer, though the
modest Teutenberg would never claim it, the German sprinter is in town
for two World Cups and two stage races in Australia and New Zealand
that have seen her based in Sydney.

And it's been a successful trip Down Under for the T-mobile rider,
who landed the Geelong World Cup, two stages of the New Zealand Trust
House Tour, a stage of the Geelong Tour and third in the Wellingtonm
World Cup, making her T-Mobile's most successful rider of the year to
date, and puttingher in the lead in the World Cup series.

As last year, Teutenberg is aboard a carbon fiber Giant bike, but this
year the team is equipped with Giant's top-dollar TCR Advanced ISP frame
(known in some territories as the Advanced LE, just to keep things nice
and confusing). The principal difference between this bike and Teutenberg's
2005 mount is the integrated seat tube. Instead of a separate seat post,
the ISP's seat tube extends all the way up to the saddle, which is mounted
on a clamp that wraps round the tube. Interchangeable spacers between
the top of the tube and the clamp allow for a bit of seat height adjustment,
but the coarse adjustment is done with a saw the mechanic cuts the seat
tube to the right length.

The construction makes the ISP one of the lightest frames around, and
it's almost trivial to build up a bike that hits the UCI's 6.8kg lower
weight limit.

Teutenberg's bike is equipped with Shimano Dura-Ace components, with
one almost-exception: the Dura-Ace version of SRM's power-measuring
cranks. At this level, power meters seem to have almost completely taken
over from heart rate monitors as the measuring tool of choice, and it
doesn't hurt that advances in other areas of the bike mean there's 'spare'
weight to accommodate the extra grams of the built-in instrumentation.
T-Mobile riders were still using their SRMs during the tours and World
Cups.

Shimano also supplies T-Mobile's wheels, and Teutenberg has the shiny
new WH-7801-SL wheels, among the first wheels to claim compatibility
with the emerging tubeless tyre standard for road bikes. At the moment,
though, Teutenberg has Continental Force and Attack tyres on them, with
regular tubes.

Deda supplies the team's handlebars and stems. Teutenberg's Newton
stem is 120mm long, providing the kind of long, low riding position
that sprinters favour. The handlebar - also a Newton - is 38cm centre-to-centre.
A front view of Teutenberg going hard for the line epitomizes the phrase
'pocket rocket'.

Saddles are always a topic that gets women riders talking (usually
in ways that make any blokes in the vicinity wince and decide to go
make the tea). Teutenberg uses a fizik Arione Tri because, "I had surgery
a couple of years ago and [afterwards] fizik was the only saddle that
worked." I'll put the kettle on, then.

Fortunately, T-Mobile riders are allowed to choose their own saddles
and shoes, so Teutenberg's preference doesn't clash with any team sponsor
obligations, and the same is true of her taste for DMT shoes, which
clip into the inevitable Shimano Dura-Ace pedals.

Full specification

Critical measurementsRider's height: 1.65mRider's weight: 62kgC of BB to C of seat tube: 420nnC of BB to T of seat tube: NAC of BB to T of seat: 680mmTip of saddle nose to C of bars: 515mmC of front wheel to top of bars: 530mm